At Governors State University, the Chemistry Education Certificate program leads to a post-baccalaureate certificate that prepares students who already have an undergraduate degree in chemistry for rewarding careers as teachers at the secondary level.

The sequence of coursework is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and leads to an initial secondary licensure in Chemistry. You can also obtain an endorsement for teaching in middle school.

To be recommended for an Illinois State Board of Education teaching license, you must present evidence of having passed the Test of Academic Proficiency (formerly Basic Skills), Subject-Matter Knowledge, and Assessment of Professional Teaching examinations of the Illinois Certification Testing System.

You must complete a student teaching requirement in chemistry and must meet other requirements for licensure through approved programs in the Teacher Education and Certification section of the GSU catalog.

This is a post-baccalaureate certificate to prepare graduates of chemistry programs for teacher licensure in chemistry at the secondary education level.

Teacher Licensure

This sequence of courses is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and leads to the nitial secondary license in chemistry. To be recommended for licensure by Governors State University, students must earn a grade of B or better in EDUC 4999 Student Teaching: Chemistry.

To be recommended for an Illinois State Board of Education teaching license, the student must present evidence of having passed the Test of Academic Proficiency (formerly Basic Skills), Subject Matter Knowledge and Assessment of Professional Teaching examinations of the Illinois Certification Testing System.

Students must meet other requirements for licensure through approved programs listed in the licensure of teachers and other school professionals section in the catalog.

This requirement is likely to include additional general education, education and content courses.

Students may obtain an endorsement that prepares them for teaching in the middle school. Students choosing to pursue the middle school endorsement must take 3 hours in early adolescent educational psychology and 3 hours in curriculum methods for middle school. Students should contact the office of secondary education for specific course numbers.

Admission to Chemistry Education

In addition to meeting all university admissions requirements, applicants for the Chemistry Education certificate must meet the following requirements:

have a bachelor's degree or higher in chemistry from a regionally accredited college or university

have a cumulative average GPA of 2.75 or higher in all lower division courses applied to the degree program

submit a word-processed essay not to exceed 300 words explaining why the applicant wishes to be a teacher

Continuation in the Certificate

In order to continue in the certificate after the first term of enrollment, students must meet the following requirements:

complete EDUC 2310 or equivalent with a grade of B or better

submit evidence of having passed the Test of Academic Proficiency (formerly Basic Skills) of the Illinois Certification Testing System

submit scores from the Educational Testing System Proficiency Profile.

Some schools and/or school districts require criminal background checks in advance of any field experience undertaken by teacher preparation candidates in school settings. Candidates may be required to comply with these requirements. Consult with your advisor for information concerning the related GSU policies and procedures.

Admission to Student Teaching

Before enrolling in EDUC 4999: Student Teaching, an application for admission to student teaching must be submitted to the director of field experiences in the College of Education. The application must be submitted by Dec. 1 for the fall term and Jan. 31 for the spring term preceding the academic year in which the student intends to teach (student teaching is not offered in the summer term). This application for student teaching will certify that the student applying has or will have met the following requirements:

completed at least 48 hours of general education requirements with a GPA of 2.75 or higher in courses taken at Governors State University

completed professional education course requirements, except student teaching, including a minimum of 100 clock-hours of field experience with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, with a grade of C or better in each course and EDUC 4465, ENGL 6570 and ENGL 6575 with a grade of B or better

completed a methods course no more than two years prior to the commencement of student teaching

have no more than 6 hours remaining to be completed in the major in which the student is enrolled with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and completed all courses with a grade of C or better

met all state requirements applicable to the subject matter area(s) in which the student will teach as outlined in "Section IX, Staff Qualifications" of the Illinois State Board of Education publication, "Minimum Requirements for State Certificates"

submitted evidence of having passed the chemistry content area exam of the Illinois Certification Testing System

received a positive recommendation from the secondary education student progress committee.

Students must meet all university requirements for a certificate. In addition, students must complete the general education requirement for initial high school licensure listed in the teacher education section of the catalog.

In addition, students must:

have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher

earn a grade of "C" or better in all general education courses;

have a GPA of 2.75 or higher for all general education courses;

have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in chemistry and physics courses;

have a GPA of 3.0 or higher for EDCP 6101, EDUC 4440 and SPED 6101, with a grade of C or better in each course

The following courses can be taken at either the lower-division or upper-division level:

EDUC 2310 Foundations of Education (3)

SPED 6101 Survey of Students with Exceptionalities (3)

The following courses must be taken at the upper-division level:

EDUC 4440 Educational Psychology in Action (3)

EDUC 4999 Student Teaching (12)

EDUC 6330 Principles of Science Education (3)

EDUC 6340 Teaching Secondary School Science (3)

EDCP 6101 Intro to Educational Technology (3)

II. Additional Requirements

Students may need to complete additional general education or chemistry courses if their bachelor's degree requirements do not meet the requirements of the approved Governors State University program for the endorsement in chemistry education.